Daring Cooks December Challenge: Salmon en Croute (or Beef Wellington)

December was my second Daring Cooks Challenge and I chose Beef Wellington over Salmon en Croute. 

I really enjoyed this challenge and although it included many steps and was time consuming (I started at 3:30 pm and finished at 8 pm [there was a few steps that required chilling/resting]), it was well worth it.

I began by sauteing the mushrooms, making the herb crepes (the first time I've ever made crepes!), and searing the beef tenderloin steak.  Once all that cooled, I began assembling the Beef Wellington.

To begin, I placed two herb crepes (I didn't have any fresh herbs so I just used scallions).  I then laid 3-4 pieces of prosciutto down and spread the mushrooms mixture over top.  On top of that was the seared tenderloin steak (brushed with Spicy Brown mustard [one of my substitutions, the recipe called for English mustard], it smelled amazing). 

 

Lastly, I laid another crepe on top to ensure that everything was encased (the purpose of the crepe is to prevent the puff pastry or shortcrust pastry from getting soggy).

 

I then folded up and chilled the crepe, prosciutto, mushroom and tenderloin "log".  Once it was properly chilled, I placed the log into the puff pastry sheet (I cheated and didn't make the shortcrust [I blame it on my lack of a food processor]) and folded it up into a package.

And then I chilled it...again!  Once chilled and brushed with an egg wash, it baked at 390 degrees for 20 minutes.

I prefer my beef cooked well, so this was underdone for me.  I was afraid to overcook the meat, so next time I would sear the meat at a slightly lower temperature and for longer (I think I seared it at medium-high in a cast iron skillet for 3-5 minutes per side).

I really enjoyed this challenge, both the process and the result.  I also learned a lot and still feel a sense of accomplishment in successfully cooking a challenging dish!

Daring Cooks November Challenge: Sushi

I joined The Daring Kitchen last month and this was my first month to participate.  The challenge was Sushi and there were four parts- we had to properly make Sushi Rice (1), make a Dragon Roll (2), Decorative Sushi (3) and Nigiri (4). 

I chose some unconventional ingredients as I was uncomfortable with buying sushi grade fish from any local places.  

Dragon Roll

For the Dragon Roll I used thin slices of carrots, cucumbers, leeks and covered in avocado.  This roll was a little difficult to make since the sushi rice was so sticky.  It turned out pretty well, even though thre avocado didn't stick at all.

Decorative Sushi
Leek and Veggie Cream Cheese:

This roll was easier to make, although the instructions were a little confusing (I didn't understand the whole ridge part at first).  For this roll, I used leeks and veggie cream cheese (I thought that would be interesting, plus I don't really like plain cream cheese).

Salami and Parmesan Cheese:

I know this sounds weird, and it kind of was, but I really like salami and parmesan cheese together and I couldn't think of anything else to put in a sushi roll (that didn't include raw fish or just veggies).  It was okay, kind of weird with all that rice and some small chunks of salami and parmesan cheese.  But it turned out decorative, like it was supposed to!

Nigiri Sushi 

I only made one of the Nigiri rolls because I knew I wouldn't want to eat them when I could eat the other rolls.  I just used avocado for the top since I didn't have anything else to put on top.